The overall objective of the Center's program planning and evaluation is to provide effective and integrated processes to ensure that the Center fulfills its missions set by the National Cancer Institute and by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. These activities involve all senior leaders and program leaders of the Center. The Center Director and the Director's Council receive substantial assistance in the Center's planning and evaluation from the External Advisory Committee and consultants. Major activities include: 1) Our External Advisory Committee (EAC) consists of 12 members with nationally known expertise required for the Center's programmatic and organizational development. The EAC meets annually and has met four times since 2000; 2) To stimulate interdisciplinary research collaboration and program development, the Cancer Center Holds an annual center-wide research retreat for programmatic reviews and collaboration, and an annual scientific priority and strategic planning retreat for identification of the Center's scientific priorities and for major program development. These two annual retreats provide crucial mechanisms for the Center's program planning and evaluation; 3) In addition, the Center also sponsors several community-based conferences each year to facilitate the Center's interactions with our community and to promote the Center's cancer prevention and control research efforts. The Center's high success in recruiting study participants to the major prevention trials is one reflection of our close relationship with the community; and 4) Finally, the Cancer Center has regular internal reviews conducted by the Center's senior leadership and internal review committees. These reviews are also vital to the ongoing development of the Center's organization, research programs, shared facilities, and center membership.